Official figures show nearly 21,000 Nigerian health workers, including thousands of doctors and nurses, relocated abroad within a year, deepening a workforce crisis that has left most of the country’s licensed medical professionals either unlicensed or working outside Nigeria.
UK, US, Canada Poach Thousands Of Nigerian Health Workers
No fewer than 20,966 Nigerian health workers relocated abroad within one year, including 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, and 6,861 lab professionals, according to the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025, obtained by Saturday PUNCH.
The exodus came into focus after a senior neurosurgeon at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital relocated to the US. UK data shows 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors joined its medical register between 2023 and 2026, with over 15,896 now licensed there.
Only 63 per cent of Nigeria’s registered doctors hold active practising licences. Doctors abroad cited poor pay, unpaid salaries, insecurity and weak infrastructure as reasons for leaving.
President Bola Tinubu urged diaspora professionals to help attract Nigerians home, saying “there’s nowhere like home.”
NEWS NOW:
